


Why Does Love Always Feel like a Battlefield?

by BatmansSidekic



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Comfort, Emotional Hurt, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Gen, Hurt, Hurt/Comfort, Jughead Jones Hurt, Kissing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-05
Updated: 2018-04-05
Packaged: 2019-04-18 16:50:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,741
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14217510
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BatmansSidekic/pseuds/BatmansSidekic
Summary: I never meant to start a warYou know I never wanna hurt youDon't even know what we're fighting forWhy does love always feel like a battlefield?In the wake of his initiation into the Southside Serpents, Jughead Jones is left with a lot of baggage. Can he trust Toni enough to let her help him unpack?





	Why Does Love Always Feel like a Battlefield?

**_Don’t try to explain your mind, I know what’s happening here_ **

**_One minute it’s love, then suddenly it’s like a battlefield_ **

 

The first few blows were tolerable. Pretty soon, though, Jughead started to struggle to stand. His body fought against his upright position. Pain coursed through every vein, white hot and heavy. His vision became so blurred that Jughead could no longer distinguish which members were in the circle around him. The blows came out of nowhere from all sides. Jughead stumbled forward one last time.

_ ‘This is it,’ _ he thought.  _ ‘This is how I go down _ .’

Strong hands caught him. It took a few long seconds for Jughead’s brain to refocus his eyes and process who was holding him. 

“Is that all you got?” he taunted at SweetPea. SweetPea grinned evilly, shoving Jughead back. Jughead stumbled as SweetPea reached backwards. His arm made a full arc, the end result colliding hard with Jughead’s temple. Jughead must have blacked out, because the next thing he registered was the wet, cold grass against his body, the crackling sound of the fires, and the quiet chirping of crickets. He grimaced and tried to push himself up to stand. His feet slid in the wet grass, and he fell again hard. His head was ringing. He couldn’t see, nor could he hear what was going on around him. He prayed that he wouldn’t vomit. Slowly, Jughead pushed his palms into the Earth, begging for Her to give him the strength to stand. As if She heard, Jughead felt a sudden rush of energy pour through him, relieving some of the pain he felt. He gave one last shove. His feet found purchase on the slippery grass, and slowly he stood. Blood dribbled from his swollen mouth. 

Jughead somehow found himself standing upright. He swayed on the spot in front of SweetPea. SweetPea held out his hand. With a tremendous effort, Jughead took it. SweetPea cracked the first smile Jug had ever seen on him. TallBoy came out of the blurred lines of Jughead’s vision and held out the Serpent jacket, much like the first time he had presented it to Jughead. Jughead took the jacket and slid into it. This time, he felt an immense weight lift from his body. 

 

**_One word turns into a war_ **

**_Why is it the smallest things that tears us down?_ **

 

The buzz of the tattoo gun pierced through Jughead’s pounding skull. He barely felt the needle stabbing his skin over the pain in the rest of his body. The white hot pain had dulled out to a heavier pain that had settled into his bones. 

“All done, laddie.” The Serpent tattoo artist wiped his shoulder one last time before removing his rubber gloves. “I’ve given your girl a care sheet. She should be able to help you learn about aftercare when you’re head is a bit clearer.”

“Thanks,” said Jughead, holding out his hand. The artist shook it with a light squeeze, giving him a friendly smile before moving out of the way for the Serpent doctor. 

“Take off your shirt and lie down,” instructed the doctor as he opened his travel medical bag. Jughead bit his lip, struggling to hold the whimper of pain inside. Toni was by his side almost immediately. She helped him pull off the now bloodstained wifebeater. Jughead gripped her elbows tight as she helped lower him down onto the couch. She moved back into the kitchen where she had been fixing a plate for the tattoo artist. Jughead watched her through tired eyes. He couldn’t help but notice how comfortable she was; it was almost like she was meant to be there. A sharp pain brought him out of his thoughts before they could stray too far.

“It seems you have some cracked ribs,” said the doctor matter-of-factly. “And a fair amount of bruising.”

‘ _ Fair is putting it lightly,’ _ mused Jughead, glancing down at his battered body. Giant purple and blue bruises were blooming brilliantly against his already pale skin. It was hard to tell where each one began and ended. 

“I need to check this head of yours. They did quite a number on your face.” The doc leaned over him, gingerly feeling the swelling on Jughead’s face. His fingers lightly touched the deep cut left by SweetPea’s brass knuckles. Jughead cried out and flinched hard. Toni’s head whipped around, breaking off conversation with the tattoo artist. 

“Dear me,” tutted the doc. He turned to his travel kit. “I always ask that they refrain from using those awful things, but no one listens to the old man with the degrees.” Jughead grimaced, his whole body tensing unwillingly, as the doctor cleaned away the dried blood that had crusted to his temple already. He bit his lip as the doctor pulled out a needle for stitches. 

“Try not to move,” he warned before he descended on Jughead. Jughead kept his eyes close the entire time, unwilling for one second to even think about seeing the needle move in and out of his skin in his peripheral. It was over in a few agonizing minutes. 

“All done.” The doc snapped his gloves off. He turned to Toni. “Call me if he blackouts, or starts vomiting, or if swelling begins to occur in the abdomen area.” Toni nods affirmatively. She hands over a second plate to the doctor and ushers both men out. Jughead hears the locks click on the door. 

“How are you feeling?” asks Toni, walking back to the couch to stand over Jughead.

“Are you serious right now?” spits out Jughead. 

“Don’t snap at me!” Toni looks away, arms crossed defensively. Jughead watches her for a moment before a thought crawled into his throbbing head.

“Did you have to do  _ all _ of that?” he asks tentatively. She looks back at him, eyes venomous.

“Yes,” was her curt reply. 

“Shit.” Jughead let his neck relax. His head fell back, vision swimming for a few seconds before his eyes refocused on the cheap tile ceiling. “I thought that at least the girls got it easier.”

“Serpents aren’t misogynistic like that.” Toni sat by his feet. “At least, not entirely. Men and women get treated the same.  _ Exactly _ the same, especially when it comes to punishment.” 

Jughead couldn’t imagine Toni’s face busted up, split lip running blood like a damn waterfall; her soft body covered in black and blue.

‘ _ Not soft _ ,’ he thinks, taking a peek at where she’s perched at the end of the couch, faded colored hair cascading over one shoulder. ‘ _ Harder than steel and bright as a diamond.’ _

“I think I need a shower,” he finally says to break the silence. He lifted his head a bit to flash her a joking smile. “Care to help a wounded brethren?” She rolls her eyes, but returns his smile. Toni stands up and reaches over to grasp Jughead by the elbows. He clings to her tightly as she pulls him up to a sitting position. The sudden change in posture jostled his wounds, causing him to cry out. He bit his lip hard, cutting the sound off. Fresh blood ran down his chin.

“Hey.” Toni’s handkerchief, the one she normally wears in her hair, wiped the blood softly from his chin. “It’s okay to show pain,” she says quietly. Eyes swimming, Jughead looks at her. The features of her face had softened. There was a sadness hidden behind her eyes. Something Jughead could relate to. 

“No one’s going to think the worst of you if you want to just hide out for a while.” Toni gripped his biceps and pulled him all the way up to stand. Jughead moaned at the movement. All the pain intensified tenfold. He swayed on the spot. Toni shouldered his entire weight effortlessly as she began the slow trek to Jughead’s room. Jughead could barely walk. Each time he tried, a chaos of pain spread through every fiber of his being. He stopped trying to hold in his cries; with each step, they burst forth of their own accord. He had started crying somewhere along the way. He couldn’t tell if he was crying because of how much of him hurt physically, or how much of him hurt otherwise.

 

**_My world’s nothing when you’re gone_ **

**_I’m here without a shield_ **

**_Can’t go back now_ **

 

Toni helped him sit on the toilet before turning the water on to warm up. Jughead’s brain was fuzzing over, and he found himself grasping at wisps of consciousness. 

“Alright, let’s get you undressed.” Toni knelt at his feet to remove his boots. Jughead tried to push her away. 

“Toni, I’m not…”

“It’s not sexual, Jug,” she said wearily as she tugged off his boots. Before he could protest, she had his belt off and undid his pants. She held out her arms. “I’m not trying to sleep with you, and you’re not trying to sleep with me. You can’t really stand on your own right now, and I don’t need you falling and dying in the bathtub.” Jughead considered her a moment. With a heavy sigh, he took her hands and let her pull him up to stand once more. He winced as she pulled his pants down. Her hands hesitated at the waistband of his boxers. 

“Do you want me to leave them on?” she asked. 

Jughead hesitated. “It might be best,” he finally said. Using the edge of the shower wall for support, he stepped out of his pants as Toni switched the water over to the showerhead. Steam began to fill the small bathroom. She stripped quickly, leaving on just her underwear. She helped step over the bathtub edge and propped him against the wall before stepping in herself. She pulled the curtain behind her, closing them into a dimly lit space. Jughead was acutely aware of how close her barely clad body was to his. He’d only been this close to a mostly  naked girl once before. He tried not to think about that.

 

**_Both hands tied behind my back for nothing_ **

**_Oh no_ **

 

After the shower, Toni left Jughead alone in his room while she went to the kitchen to fetch food. Jughead tried to lower himself down onto the bed, but his knees didn’t want to cooperate, so he hit the side of the bed and ended up laying face down in the floor. He groaned, unwilling to push his body more.

“Jughead!” Toni’s frantic voice sounded above him. Her small, cold hands turned him over and pulled him into a sitting position. Jughead’s face was screwed up in pain, his arms wrapping themselves around his torso as he tried to pull in breaths through the pain in his torso. More tears slid down the sides of his face. Toni framed his face with her cold hands, wiping away his tears. 

“It doesn’t last forever, Jug,” she said. 

“It fucking feels like it,” spat out Jughead. 

Toni’s hands dropped from his face down to his chest. “Jug…” 

Jughead looked up to see tears shining in Toni’s eyes.

 

**_These times when we climb so fast to fall again_ **

 

He leaned in without thinking about it. Toni pulled back from him, her hands still braced against his chest. They stared at each other for a few seconds. Jughead was the first to break eye contact.

“Sorry,” he said, looking away towards a corner of the bedroom. “I don’t know why I did that.”

“Juggie...what’s going on?” Toni sat back a little from Jughead, her hands folded in her lap. “It’s not just the initiation that’s put you in a mood.” 

“It’s nothing.” Jughead tried to shrug, but he ended up just wincing instead. 

Toni sighed. “It’s not  _ nothing _ , Jughead,” she deadpanned. “I know Archie came to see you right before the final stage of your initiation. SweetPea said you were arguing with him, and that it had something to do with Betty. Do you want to talk about it?” She looked at him, arms now curled around her knees, hiding her mostly naked body. 

“I don’t think talking about it is going to help,” said Jughead, still looking at the corner of the bedroom. “She was fine at Pop’s, and then...then Archie...he told me that Betty never wants to see me again. And that it’s the Serpents fault. I just can’t believe...I can’t wrap my head around the fact that Betty would break up with me through Archie. It’s not like her, Toni.” Jughead let his head fall back onto the bed. “It’s not like her at all,” he choked out.

 

**_I don’t want to fall for it now_ **

 

Toni watched as Jughead fell apart in front of her. His entire body sagged against the old bed, shaking with his silent sobs. She felt her heart clench in her chest. Every part of her was screaming for her to do something, to comfort him in some way. She hugged her knees tighter, willing herself to just let him cry it out. He needed this release. No reason for her to make it more complicated. 

Jughead tried to pull in a deep breath and instead let out a loud cry.

Toni broke.

She pulled let go of her knees and pulled him to her. They fell over onto the floor, Jughead pressed close to her, clutching her small body as if she was a life raft. She carded her fingers through his hair, the only place she was sure there wasn’t a cut or bruise. They laid like that for what could have been hours or only a few minutes. Time seemed to stop existing. 

Jughead finally stirred, shifting slightly to take his entire weight of her. He rested on his elbows, his face tucked into the crook of her neck. He took a few breaths there before he pulled his head up and looked her in the face. She was staring at him with understanding eyes. No questions swirled behind her irises. Her lips were slightly parted; he could see a hint of teeth behind them. 

A beat passed.

Jughead leaned down as Toni pushed up. Their lips met, and he felt fire move through his cold limbs. They kissed and kissed, tongues coming out to whisper access against lips and when granted, danced together as if they’d done this a million times. Jughead found himself tangling his fingers in her hair, cupping her chin, and lightly closing his hand around her neck. Her body pressed up against his battered one, gooseflesh pushed against gooseflesh. Jughead had no concept of how much time had passed as they made out on the bedroom floor. Unspoken, they broke apart at the same time. They stared at each other a few seconds before Toni lightly stroked his face.

“I think we need to get dressed and go to bed,” she whispered, thumb brushing across his cut lip.

“I may need help with that,” said Jughead with an attempted smirk. Toni rolled her eyes and wiggled herself out from underneath him. She helped him up onto the bed. After rummaging in sparse dresser drawers, she produced a pair of faded sweatpants and well worn t shirt, which she tossed into his lap before looking for clothes for herself. Jughead barely managed to pull on the clothes as Toni got dressed in front of him. He scooted backwards onto the bed, pulling the bedcovers back to burrow himself under them. She turned off the overhead light and slid in next to him. They lay facing each other, not saying a word.

“Goodnight, Jughead,” she said with a smile.

“Goodnight,” replied Jughead. He leaned over and placed a soft kiss on her lips.

 

**_I never meant to start a war_ **

**_You know I never wanna hurt you_ **

**_Don’t even know what we’re fighting for_ **

**_Why does love always feel like a battlefield?_ **

 

Toni watched Jughead sleep, her heart clenched deep in her chest. Her feelings swirled conflicted inside. One the one hand, she knew what Jughead joining the Serpents meant. On the other, she wanted Jughead to stay as close to the Northside as much as possible. She felt deep in her heart that he didn’t belong here, in Riverdale. Jughead deserved to get out. He deserved to run as far away as possible from all the garbage that exists here. 

“The Serpents are only gonna drag you down, Jug,” she whispered to his sleeping form. “You deserve better than this.”

**Author's Note:**

> This is far from my first fic, but it *is* my first fic posted to AO3 AND my first Riverdale fic. Yay for firsts! Thank you so much for reading! Subscribe to me (or follow. I'm not sure which is used here lol) for more fics! I'll be doing a lot of one shots, but eventually (once school lets up) I'll be doing more long chapter fics! Stay tuned! <3 ^_^


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